It's the Thought that Counts
by Capt. Cow
Summary: Just a short story, I was bored and had nothing to do.


It's the Thought that Counts  
  
This is just a quick story, I'm bored so I decided to write it. I'm not quite sure about Hogan's family, so I made them up. If there is like a set family you're meant to use please tell me.  
  
Also, please excuse all the grammar errors. English is not my best subject.  
  
Another thing, I don't know many U.S states so I hope I got the place they live right.  
  
26th April 1943 Home of Douglas and Isabella Hogan Coneticut  
  
Doug Hogan sat at the kitchen table reading the morning paper. It was filled with news of victories against the Germans. There wasn't much else in it. All anyone could think about these days was the war. Sighing he began to go through the morning mail, it had been about a month since he and his wife had received any letters from any of they're four sons. Maybe they were dead, Doug knew that was how his wife felt. She barely smiled anymore. The fact that four of her five children hadn't been heard from for a month weighed down on the whole family. Hopefully there was a letter today.  
  
He finished looking through the mail. There wasn't anything from the boys, just bills and junk mail. Oh well, thought Doug, maybe tomorrow.  
  
His thoughts drifted back to his sons. Robert, the eldest, was in a P.O.W camp somewhere in Germany. It was almost ironic. Rob had never enjoyed being idle. Even as a little kid he had always been moving, always doing something. The boredom at the prison camp must be driving him insane.  
  
26th April 1943 Stalag 13 Germany  
  
"You must be insane guv'nor!" Newkirk remarked, as Colonel Robert began to explain his newest plan. They needed to get out of camp and blow up an ammo dump tonight, and Hogan had another crazy plan.  
  
"Look Newkirk, we need to blow that train up tonight, BUT Klink is due for a bedcheck SO we make him think he needs to give us a bed check tomorrow so we can go out tonight. Simple!" Hogan smiled at the looks of utter disbelief on his men's faces.  
  
Kinch looked at Hogan, his commanding officer always seemed to know what he was doing. They were going to have to trust him, his plans did always seem to work.  
  
"Okay colonel, what's the plan?"  
  
26th April 1943 Home of Douglas and Isabella Hogan Coneticut  
  
Doug had finished reading the paper and the mail by the time Isabella came down to breakfast. Seeing the opened mail on the table her heart jumped, could Rob or Michael or James or Nick written a letter? She looked hopefully at her husband, but the look on his face quelled any excited thoughts she had. No, a letter hadn't come today.  
  
Sitting down Isabella, poured herself a cup of coffee.  
  
"Is Elsie coming here today for lunch?" her husband asked looking up from his toast.  
  
"Yes, she's bringing Anna and Chris too." With all the boys at the war the remaining members of the Hogan family stayed very close indeed. It was very comforting to Doug to know that his daughter and her two children were close by.  
  
Maybe that was one good thing to have come out of this crisis, Doug thought as he munched thoughtfully on his toast. The family was closer than ever.  
  
26th April 1943 Stalag 13 Germany  
  
Carter, Newkirk and Hogan waited in the forest near the railway track waiting for the train to pass. The track was wired, now they were waiting for the train to come past so they could press the button, blow it up and high tail it back to camp.  
  
As they waited in the bushes Carter marvelled at how well Hogan had managed to manipulate Klink. All they had had to do was.  
  
Earlier.  
  
Sgt. Schultz was about to walk around the corner of the barracks to talk to Colonel Hogan when he heard voices,  
  
"It's a good plan guys!!!" Hogan said loudly, hoping that Schultz could hear him. "We can escape tomorrow night!"  
  
"But what if Klink does a bed check?" Carter said loudly  
  
"Why would he do that?" Hogan asked, "no one knows that we plan to escape tomorrow night."  
  
"You're right guv'nor," Newkirk added, " I just hope Klink doesn't do a bed check tomorrow, he would really mess up our plans."  
  
Excited about what he had just heard Schultz sped (well kind of sped) off to tell the commandant. Tomorrow there would be a bed check, and they would catch those naughty prisoners!  
  
Back to the present.  
  
They could hear the train coming, Carter got ready to push the button to blow up the track.  
  
"Ready" The train was speeding closer.  
  
"Set" Almost there, don't forget to push the button.  
  
"Go!" Colonel Hogan yelled and the train came past where they were hiding. Carter pressed the trigger button as hard as he could!  
  
BOOM!  
  
The train erupted in flames.  
  
"Come on men, lets get back to camp. Mission accomplished."  
  
27th April 1943 Home of Douglas and Isabella Hogan Coneticut  
  
Isabella woke up to the mail being delivered. Was Doug awake? No, he was right beside her having a sleep in. Elsie's kids had really tired him out. They weren't as tiring as four boys were, she smiled thinking of happier days when the boy's were at home. The banter that filled the house whenever they were there. It was a good thought, better than thinking of them in cold muddy trenches or stuck in a P.O.W camp with bad food and no freedom.  
  
Maybe there was a letter today, Isabella refused to think that maybe there wasn't a letter because one of her son's was dead. That was what had happened to her neighbour. First the letters had stopped coming and then an official letter had come informing Mrs. Page (Isabella's neighbour) that one of her sons had been killed in action.  
  
Hoping that a letter had finally come, Isabella threw on her dressing gown and went to pick up the mail.  
  
Flicking through she saw a couple bill's, a Grace Bros catalogue and five letters!  
  
"Doug!" cried Isabella, "Doug come quickly!! The boy's have written!"  
  
Doug was down the stairs quick as a flash, and the two settled down to read the letter together. The first was from the military apologising for the amount of time it took for all the letters to arrive. The other letter's were from Rob, Michael, James and Nick.  
  
All the letter's said pretty much the same thing, Doug smiled, the Hogan's have never really been good letter writers, but it was the thought that counts.  
  
Rob seemed to be doing okay, he didn't seem as bored in his letter as Doug would have thought. Maybe prisoner of war camps aren't as boring an tedious as everyone says. Although it was probably more likely that Rob's was just a special case. He must have found himself a very unique prison camp, Doug thought, to sound this up-beat after being in captivity for a year or so.  
  
Little did he know, back at Stalag 13 Colonel Robert Hogan was planning his next mission.  
  
The End. 


End file.
